From a young age, Melzer's parents had described their daughter as “boyish” — a daughter who felt increasingly uncomfortable in her body during puberty.

Model Benjamin Melzer.Courtesy of Aym Icon

Melzer described life in his northwestern home town of Oer-Erkenschwick — population 30,000 — as “another world” and said he felt “external pressure” during his teenage years despite strong support from family and friends.

At the age of 18 he decided to seek advice on the process of a sex change, but it took another 5 years before Yvonne came “to the point of no return,” Melzer said.

That's when he launched on a journey of long and often painful surgeries. Eleven operations later, and after “a number of complications along the way,” Melzer said that he now feels “like a normal man."

"It is as if Yvonne never existed,” he told NBC News.

Bejamin Melzer grew up in northwest Germany as Yvonne.Frithjof Ohm for Men's Health

His passion for sports and fitness helped him turn from a salesman to a male model. Today, Melzer actively engages in surfing, wakeboarding and cliff-diving.

In February, U.S. TV and film star Ashton Kutcher applauded his story in a Facebook post.

“At first I could not believe it,” said Melzer, who had to be convinced by friends that it was a real post by the star. “But it was very cool and felt totally unreal.”

He called that recognition and the Men's Health cover appearance the "crowning touch" on a difficult and lengthy process — a story that Melzer said he hopes will give the trans community more visibility and recognition.

"When you are born this way, you have no choice," he said. “I want to give hope and comfort to those, who ask themselves every day why they were not born in a different body."

Andy Eckardt

Andy Eckardt is a producer based in Mainz, Germany. He started this role in 1994.